Sticks and Stones
by MidnightMusic96
Summary: Gaara has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki because of Shukaku. Lee is desparate to save his beloved red-head and fulfill a promise he made. Will he make it in time?


Theme #6 Sticks and Stones

**"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words just shattered my soul."**

**~Myself**

Lee ran around the village now on his tenth lap. He was a now a Chunin and he was working hard to get to the same ranking as Neji as a Jounin. Sweat rolled down his face as he rounded the corner and the east gate came into view. He was determined to become a Jounin at all costs.

A messenger hawk flew over his head, a sign to head straight to the Hokage's office. He picked up his pace and sprinted through the gates and towards the Hokage Tower. He reached there in five minutes, but he knew he could do better.

He entered the office to see all the rest of his team but Gai-sensei. Tsunade's face was solemn and slightly crestfallen. What was wrong? It seems like someone died or something. Gai-sensei walked into the room and his smile fell. The room was oddly silent with Gai and Lee as its occupants. What just had happened?

"You are needed as back-up for Team Kakashi. Your mission is to rendezvous with them in order to rescue the Kazekage," Tsunade stated impassively.

"Rescue Gaara? What happened? Who took him?" Lee found himself shouting. His heart was beating fast in anticipation. All thoughts of youth were gone and Gaara clouded it.

"Gaara was kidnapped by the Akatsuki in order to capture the Bijuu Ichibi no Shukaku. Team Kakashi will be in pursuit as soon as word comes back from Kankuro who has chased the kidnappers," Tsunade explained. Lee felt anger well up in him and it was hard to fight to keep him in check. "You are to head to Suna as fast as possible." She threw Gai a scroll. "As usual Gai will be leader. Now get going. Time is wasting."

The team exited the room and Tenten noticed Lee's hands shaking. "Lee, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Only Gai, Tsunade and Gaara's siblings knew about his relationship with him and he knew it would have to come out sometime.

"I promised Gaara I'd never let him get hurt and now this has happened," Lee cried.

"Lee-," Tenten started.

"I fail as a boyfriend!" he cried out falling to his knees and he saw shock in both Tenten and Neji's faces. Gai placed a comforting hand on his shoulders as he calmed himself. His tears ceased finally.

"You do not fail and I know Gaara will still love you no matter what. No one could have predicted this and it's not your fault that he got hurt. He was kidnapped protecting his village and not even you could stop him from doing that. All that matters now is that you get to Suna and be his handsome prince that will save him," Gai stated sympathetically. Lee nodded and stood up.

"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Lee said.

The team all got their bags packed and we were soon sprinting at a fast pace towards Suna. All was silent amongst the team. All of their minds were set on the task at hand except Lee's mind couldn't help but flow to all those good times he had with Gaara after he had forgiven him.

(Flashback)

Team Gai were visiting in Suna. They had gotten a few weeks off and had decided to spend it there because Gai wanted to see how different training was here, Lee followed him, and Tenten wanted to get a nice tan. Neji was then forced to agree thanks to Tenten.

Lee was heading to one of the training areas when he saw a flash of red hair in a doujin he had walked past. He stopped at that one and peered inside. Quickly moving, Gaara was punching a bag. As Lee inspected closer, he saw that his stance was incorrect and felt the urge to come in and correct it.

Suddenly, a kunai flew straight by his head. He noticed it was Gaara who had thrown it. "What are you doing standing there?" Realization passed over the red-head's features. "Lee, is that you?"  
>"You are correct my friend. Do you mind if I point out that your stance is wrong and you could easily be knocked over if unable to use that sand of yours," Lee stated. Gaara looked confused. Lee walked over. "Get yourself in your stance and do not use your sand." Gaara did as he was told. Lee got in his own stance and motioned for Gaara to come at him. He did so and quickly Lee shot out his leg and pulled Gaara's feet to make him collapse. "See, enemies would easily be able to take you down."<p>

"Lee, will you help me with my Taijutsu?" Gaara asked shyly. Lee's smile widened as he nodded. For the remainder of the two weeks, Lee helped Gaara fix his stance and learn some basic Taijutsu and by then Lee had developed a crush.

(End of Flashback)

Over the course of a year, Lee took more missions to Suna to see the red head and soon the two had formed a relationship and were secretly dating.

"Lee?" Tenten's voice snapped Lee out of his thoughts. "Do you mind me asking, but who is the seme in your relationship?" A blush was present on her cheeks.

"Tenten, I didn't know you were secretly a yaoi fan girl, but if you must know, I am the seme since Gaara-kun didn't know what love was," Lee replied way too confidently then he intended. Tenten's blush darkened as Neji sighed.

"Lee, nearly every girl is secretly a yaoi fan girl," Neji stated simply with a small smile on his face.

Lee sprang off the tree branch, determination present in his eyes. How dare they hurt his Gaara-kun! He abruptly stopped as a small pug ran into his view. Skidding to a halt, the dog panted and looked up at Gai-sensei.

"Follow me, I know where the men took Gaara," the pug, Pakkun, said. They let him catch his breath before starting forth. Lee let adrenaline take over as he began to tire. They were getting closer and closer to getting to his Gaara-kun.

A man suddenly appeared in front of the group. His skin was a light blue color and he wielded a large sword. A shark-like grin appeared on his face and he spoke with a deep voice. "Do you remember me, Gai?" Gai-sensei just appeared clueless. This was going to be a long fight.

The fight had ended with the shark man turning into a different person. Without a second thought, they followed Pakkun farther towards Suna. They reached a cave blocked off by a boulder and stopped to rest and wait for Team Kakashi.

Lee shifted his feet anxiously side to side. He had to save him Gaara-kun. He soon started pacing, worry finally settling over his chest. He repeatedly told himself that Gaara was okay.

Naruto suddenly flew overhead and into the view of Team Gai, barely flailing at all. He splashed down into the water and came up for air muttering, "Sakura-chan… Ow." Neji muttered slightly to himself. He must have upset Miss Cherry Blossom.

Kakashi, Sakura, and who Lee suspected was an elder of Suna. Lee had seen Gaara speaking with her and she might know about the relationship. She walked up to Lee and scooped Lee into her frail arms. "We'll get him back Lee-san," she whispered to him. Lee's eyes widened. She knew.

"Hey Bushy Brow, what's that about? I know we're all trying to get Gaara back, but why did Chiyo-baa-sama go up to you an hug you?" Naruto asked ringing out his shirt. His intelligence level has increased.

Lee exchanged a glance with Gai and Chiyo. The both nodded. He sighed. "Gaara-kun and I are together," he said timidly. Naruto looked clueless. "Gaara-kun is my uke." He still looked clueless, but Sakura in the background squealed and Kakashi looked shocked.

"Did you know about this?" Kakashi asked Gai-sensei. Gai-sensei started ranting on about finally beating his eternal rival. Sakura came over and hugged Lee. Not a single tinge of red came across his face.

"You really do love Gaara, we'll get him back," she assured him before going over to talk to Tenten.

After some discussion, Team Gai were sent out to remove the skills. Lee was in place and was waiting for the signal. When it came, he ripped it off and was about to head back at the fastest he could when, a clone of him appeared out of a tree.

Punching and kicking at the clone, he couldn't beat it. He had to be stronger than he was when he started the fight. An image of Gaara flashed in his mind and he allowed his anger to take over along with his worry. He never did that before, but if it would help him win the fight and get to his Gaara-kun faster, he would do it.

With one last sweep of his leg, his clone fell and disappeared back into a tree. Rushing back toward the cave, Lee again was thrown into visions and memories of being with Gaara. A feeling of sorrow was with it.

(Flashback)

Gaara sat at his desk working on the endless amount of paperwork that continuously landed at his desk. He finished signing the last paper and set it to the side. Standing up, he moved to the window to look out at the village. A blur of green passed into view and he smiled knowing exactly who it was.

A knock came at his door and opened quietly. He turned around, slightly smiling, to see his brother Kankuro. "I finished my mission…" he stated dazed. "What are you so happy about?"

Another knock came at his door and it opened with a flourish. A green blur flashed into view and wrapped Gaara in a huge bear hug. Gaara laughed slightly and Kankuro watched in shock. Lee lifted Gaara and swung him around before planting a short kiss to his lips. Gaara looked slightly amused, but only from the kiss. Lee had so much energy, but Gaara wasn't one to like being swung.

"Uh, Gaara?" Kankuro questioned uncertainly.

"You remember Lee from the Chunin Exams? He helped me with my taijutsu and accepted my apology. Lee also agreed to be my boyfriend," Gaara smiled up at Lee.

"Lee, how come you accepted? He nearly ended your career as a ninja," Kankuro asked.

"Gaara is really sweet and Shukaku was taking over him at the time, so I don't blame him. Plus, he apologized on his hands and knees in front of the rest of my teammates," Lee said smirking at the younger and shorter man in his arms. Kankuro nodded awkwardly and exited the room.

"It's good to see you again, Lee-san," Gaara said.

(End of Flashback)

Lee reached the sight where Gaara lay on the ground. Tenten landed next to him. Lee knelt next to him and moved his hand to caress Gaara's cheek. His skin felt cold, but still it felt just like it had the last time they had seen each other. A single tear rolled down his face as Chiyo came up to Gaara.

She laid her hands slightly over Gaara's chest and they began to glow green. "Chiyo-baa-san, what are you doing? Gaara is dead," Sakura said. Chiyo glared up at her and continued to pump her chakra into Gaara. Sakura's eyes widened as she realized what Chiyo was doing. "Chiyo-san, you don't have enough chakra to bring him back."

"Than, she'll get my chakra," Naruto stood up and laid his hands atop of hers and began to pump chakra into Gaara. Slowly, the process stopped and Lee watched as Gaara began to stir.

Tears began to pool from his eyes as Gaara stirred. He shifted between consciousness and unconsciousness. Citizens from Suna began to gather around, tears also pouring from their eyes. Gai, Kakashi, Tenten, and Neji remained stoic as people gathered to mourn the death of their Kazekage.

Gaara's eyes fluttered opened and Lee threw himself at his uke in happiness. "Gaara-kun, you're alive!" Lee muttered. Gaara's eyes softened and Naruto helped him sit up. "Do you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I'm just happy to be alive," Gaara said. He noticed the wounds Lee had. "Lee you're hurt," he pointed out.

"I'm fine, I'm just glad you're alright," Lee said. He helped Gaara stand as Kankuro and Temari rushed over. They checked him over to make sure he was alright. Lee's state of worry lowered as tears of happiness started to flow from the villagers that came to see Gaara.

Unannounced to Lee, Gaara strode over to Lee and turned him around. He slammed his lips against his and Lee's eyes widened in shock as did the rest of the people around them. "Thank you Lee, for not giving up," he said. He turned to Naruto and stuck out his hand. "I want to thank you as well." Naruto grabbed his hand but instead of shaking it, he pulled Gaara into a quick man hug.

"Gaara-sama, why did you kiss that Konoha ninja?" his student, Matsuri said. Lee wrapped his arm around Gaara's waist and pulled him closer.

"Lee is my boyfriend. If anyone has a problem with me, they have a problem with me," Gaara stated sternly. The audience was in shocked silent. Suddenly, someone near the back of the crowd let out an "Aw" of cuteness. The rest of the citizens' eyes softened and a small cheer range out through the crowd.

A week later, Gaara and Lee stood hand in hand together saying their goodbyes. "I'll see you the next time you come or at the Chunin Exams," Gaara said to Lee giving him a quick peck on the lips. Lee pulled him back to him, getting a longer kiss from his Kazekage.

Resting their foreheads together, Lee whispered to Gaara, "You don't ever scare me like that again, ever! I don't want your youth wasted. If you ever need a day off or just want to talk to me, send me a message and I'll get there as soon as I can." Gaara nodded and kissed Lee one last time.

Gaara turned to the rest of the group and one by one said goodbye to the rest of them, hugging Naruto as well. Lee waved goodbye to Gaara and headed back to Konoha. His Gaara was safe and he was back to normal. He was happy just because Gaara was happy and that's all that mattered.

* * *

><p><em>Aw Lee, you are so cute. I wish you were loved by Gaara in the real manga.<em>


End file.
